


Snow Blindness

by FangirlOfPower



Series: Pikmin Fics [2]
Category: Pikmin (Video Game)
Genre: @ canon Charlie: what the frick, Alph is he/they nonbinary because I"M she/they nonbinary and I say so, Angst, Author's Note: This was posted BEFORE Pikmin 3 Deluxe was released, Blood, But mostly angst, Day 28 of Piktober is Eaten, Dehydration, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Knives, PIKMIN 3 DELUXE LETS GOOOOOOO, Pikmin 3, Starvation, Vehemoth Phosbat, doesn't mean they can't get traumatized by animals mutated by radioactivity, everyone is traumatized it's post nuclear apocalyptic Earth, just because they're aliens 250 million years in the future, listen he's stuck in a stomach for a week that's bad, none of the Koppaites though, so I did not know that canon Charlie found the stomach oddly comfortable, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27241408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangirlOfPower/pseuds/FangirlOfPower
Summary: The cavern looks warm and welcoming, but a maw can be described as warm and cavernous too.Or: The Vehemoth Phosbat and the aftermath of its death.
Relationships: Alph & Brittany & Charlie, Alph & Brittany (Pikmin), Alph & Charlie (Pikmin), Brittany & Charlie (Pikmin)
Series: Pikmin Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930603
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Snow Blindness

**Author's Note:**

> Day 28 of Piktober is Eaten  
> Major warnings of blood and death for the Phosbat but read the tags for everything else

Charlie shivers in the cold, his squadron of yellow plants seemingly unbothered by the snow. They do have a thick layer of… Fur, presumably from living in this area. They follow behind him like a flock of floral ducklings. It’s cute. Charlie crosses a bridge and looks behind him to see them still following him. Ahead of him is a cave entrance, and it looks warmer in there. He hasn’t seen any predators yet, but he has to keep his guard up.

Charlie walks into the cave, the darkness a huge difference from the white reflection of the snow outside. He tries to blink away the snow blindness. His squadron of yellow plants hum behind him as he walks further into the cave. There’s some weird animals in here that he has them attack. Some mushrooms light up when the yellow plant animals hit them. There’s a loud growl and the entire group lets out a sound of terror and runs away. A rush of wind and Charlie turns in time to see a giant bioluminescent maw scoop him up. He yells, lashing out. What good is that going to do? He’s a snack to this giant. Charlie fights anyway, squirming in the darkness, his light pushed up against his helmet. The bright green glow that’s a signal to his crew just made him a shiny snack. 

Whatever just ate him flies through the cave and settles with a growl. Charlie tries to move his arms and free himself but to no avail. He’s trapped. Somehow not digesting, which is good, but trapped. 

Charlie turns his head away from his light, the glow giving him a headache in the darkness. His eyes didn’t clear from the snow blindness and now they’re not going to adjust to the darkness of the stomach. 

A stomach. Charlie’s in a creature’s stomach. He was eaten. 

He’s going to die. 

The space ranger feels sick. He’s going to die. Not in battle, not of old age, as careless food for some creature. He should have followed the yellow beings. They knew it was in here. They knew it was dangerous. They tried to warn him. He should have listened. 

Charlie sends a wish to the stars that Alph and Brittany are alright. He believes in many things, but there’s nothing the stars can do to get him out of this mess. 

At some point, Charlie drifts into an uneasy sleep. Alph and Brittany are there in his dreams. Brittany smacks his face and calls him an idiot and Alph grins up at him with that dopey smile. There’s something off about them, but Charlie is relieved to see them. It’s so good to see his crew’s faces… 

Charlie wakes with tears. He reaches up to dry them, only for his arm to get stuck in the warm muscles surrounding him, a steady heartbeat next to him. 

Oh. 

That’s right. 

He’s trapped. 

Charlie hopes that Alph and Brittany aren’t trapped like him. They have their entire lives ahead of them. He has plenty more years as well, but space rangers have shorter lives anyway. Stars above… Charlie cannot cry, he can’t waste any water, he’ll get dehydrated. 

The creature roars, startling Charlie out of his half awake state. He can hear it flap its wings (at least he thinks those are wings and that they belong to the creature) before it takes off. The rocking doesn’t help his nausea. Charlie swallows the bile rising in the back of his throat and squeezes his eyes shut, the bright green glow of his light burning in his vision. 

The rocking is nauseating but it’s also making him oh so tired from that restless sleep… Charlie opens his eyes, looking at his light. He’s exhausted... This cannot be good for him… 

The creature settles down, a grumbling purr shaking Charlie and he loses his fight on consciousness. 

Time has lost meaning but goodness has that bright green light blinded Charlie for the last time. He eventually wiggles his hands to his neck where he can switch the light off and flips the switch, plunging himself into darkness. This is a bad idea. Charlie gets more and more nervous the longer the darkness lasts but he will not turn the light back on. The creature growls, its heartbeat steady, signifying that, no, Charlie hasn’t lost his grip on reality. At least, not yet. 

...

How much air does his tank have left before he starts dying of suffocation or oxygen poisoning? 

_ “Captain! Captain! Get up!”  _

_ Charlie opens his eyes, looking up at Alph’s wide blue ones. “...Alph?”  _

_ “Captain! Come on, here’s some juice.” Some juice appears in Charlie’s hand. No, Alph handed it to him, he’s just delirious. “Drink up, it’s delicious! Brittany made it this morning!”  _

_ “What’s it called?” Charlie asks. Alph’s answer is unintelligible. “Alph?” No reply that time.  _

Charlie wakes up with a headache and a heartache. He misses Alph and his neverending optimism. Brittany and her good-natured teasing. It’s been far too long in the darkness. He should have been dead by now, shouldn’t he? He’s not sure. He’s not sure if he is alive anymore. If this is the afterlife, it’s a terrible one and he’d like a redo. Charlie smiles grimly at that. He shouldn’t, he really shouldn’t, but he’s exhausted. He’s gotten plenty of rest, but he’s exhausted. 

The next time Charlie “sees” Alph and Brittany, it’s a hallucination, which is a treat and a testament to how dehydrated and sensory deprived he is. They whisper meaningful phrases and loving words and have jars of juice and pictures of what Charlie’s addled brain thinks is fruit. 

When Charlie falls asleep, he’s with Alph and Brittany on the Drake, and it’s even worse. Here, they can touch him, but there’s no warmth, no love, just them. 

Alph is a touchy-feely person who loves to say “I love you” to his friends and stars above if it doesn’t make Charlie want to cry every time he wakes up. 

_ “I love you!” Dream-Alph says cheerfully.  _

“I miss you,” Charlie whispers when he wakes. “And… I love you too.” 

Alph and Brittany lead their squadron of Pikmin into the cave, looking around. “He should be in here…” Alph says. “Our KopPads show his signal in here…” He zooms in on his KopPad, confused. 

Brittany takes some of the Yellow Pikmin and lights up a lightbulb in the center of the room. The Vehemoth Phosbat flares into existence on the wall, roaring loudly. Brittany whistles the Pikmin to attention before they can scatter. It takes off, circling the room. Alph lets out a choked cry of surprise. “Yeah, Alphie? Talk to me.” 

“Captain Charlie's signal is coming from inside it.” 

Brittany falters. “What?” 

“Captain Charlie is inside it!” 

The Vehemoth Phosbat circles the room, growling at them. Charlie rests inside it. Or at least… 

Alph and Brittany decide not to think about the most realistic possibility of their captain being dead. 

Charlie is jostled awake, delirious. His water supply ran out yesterday but his oxygen hasn't. It's not really a blessing. Hyperoxia from PNF-404’s atmosphere would probably be a nicer way to go than dehydration. The monster growls, the muscles rippling around Charlie. It's mad. The heartbeat that's usually so regular picks up, the sound near deafening at times. 

A transmission comes through his KopPad. Charlie brushes his numb fingers against the screen he can't see, trying to answer. Static. “Cap-n? C-ta- d- -ou c-py?” Alph's voice comes out, full of static and cutting out. 

Charlie tries to answer but the only sound he can make is a scratchy groan before he starts coughing weakly. 

“Cha-” Alph gets disconnected with a beep. 

Charlie is upset. He was so close… He finally gives in and cries. It's no use. He's going to die. Even if they do manage to kill whatever he's in, what will they do to get him out? Neither of them would climb into a giant creature’s mouth to rescue him. But despite that, Charlie can't stand the idea of losing them… His arm has been scrunched up against his neck for the last few days (has it been days?) after turning out his light and he can't really feel it. But he squeezes his eyes shut and tries to flick it back on. The bright green light blinds him despite having his eyes closed. The creature growls and lets out a roar. 

Charlie loses consciousness, the green light making him nauseous. 

Alph tries to get a transmission to Charlie. It gets picked up but there's to see nothing but darkness. “Captain? Captain, do you copy?” 

Charlie lets out a groan that makes Alph's throat hurt and starts coughing weakly. 

“Charlie!” Alph gets disconnected. “Brittany, he's alive!” 

“For now,” Brittany says. She’s not trying to be depressing, she’s just stating a fact. 

It reasonably makes Alph upset. “Don’t say that! He’s alive right now! He’ll… He’ll be fine! We’ll rescue him! We… We will! We have to!” His voice is shaky and he sounds like he’s going to cry. “He’ll be fine… Right?” 

Brittany doesn’t answer. Alph isn’t sure he can take any answer she has to his question. Alive or dead, Charlie will not be okay when he gets out. He’s spent a week in a monster’s stomach, dehydrating and starving. “It’s almost sunset,” Brittany says, avoiding the question. “We need to take our Pikmin and go. We can fight the Vehemoth Phosbat more in the morning.” 

Alph glares at the monster that’s up on the wall. It’s currently almost invisible, but he can see the vague outline. It swallowed their captain whole and now he’s suffering. “...Okay.” 

The two and their squadron of Pikmin rush out of the cave, the Vehemoth Phosbat chasing them with a roar. 

Alph rests his head in his hands, his serving of juice resting in front of him. “Alphie,” Brittany says softly. “You need to eat.” 

“We have to go back for him.” 

“I know.” 

“You don’t think he’s still gonna be alive.” 

“Alphie, it’s been a week, it’s a miracle he survived this long.” 

“I know you don’t like him, but you could at least-!” 

“I do like him!” Brittany says, cutting Alph off. “He’s my friend. Stars, Alph, I miss him and I wish he wasn’t dead, but there’s no way he should have survived this long trapped in some giant animal’s stomach.” 

Alph looks up at her, tears burning in his eyes. “...I miss Charlie,” he says shakily, barely able to get the words out. “I miss him, I miss him…” He finally bursts into tears, the shock finally catching up to him. “I don’t want him to die, Brittany!” 

Brittany comes to his side of the table and gently hugs him, avoiding the burns from the ship’s engine and outer casing Alph got on his first day. “I know,” she says. “I know, Alphie.” 

“...I’m sorry I yelled at you.” 

“It’s okay.” 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Brittany pulls Alph’s drink closer. “Now, drink your juice before I drink it. It’s a very nice flavor.” 

Alph laughs shakily, still teary eyed. “Okay. In the morning we rescue Charlie.” 

Brittany doesn’t point out the fact that Alph is saying Charlie instead of Captain. “In the morning we rescue Charlie.” 

Charlie is delirious and lightheaded. He’s starving and dehydrated. He thinks his crew is here to save him, but how can he be sure when all he knows is darkness accented with bright green? The loud heartbeat of the beast? There is nothing but that. Charlie rests uneasily in a fitful state between wakefulness and unconsciousness. The creature roars, taking off. Charlie tries to hold his head steady but winces weakly. The creature is mad at something. 

Charlie drifts back into uneasy delirium. The creature growls and roars with every hit, strangely grounding Charlie to reality. 

The monster lets out a loud roar, flapping its wings. There’s a loud crash and the unmistakable crackling of electricity. The monster hits the ground hard and, although Charlie is cushioned, he slips into unconsciousness with the impact. 

Alph and Brittany approach the Vehemoth Phosbat, their squadron of Pikmin right behind them. “...It’s dead,” Brittany announces. “It’s over.” 

“And Charlie?” 

“He’s still inside.” 

They both knew he would still be inside, it’s not like he would jump out of the mouth ready to go like the world was some ideal game to play. 

Alph stares at it, kicking its lip. “How do we get him out? Should I climb in?” 

“No, the teeth could tear your suit or you could get trapped too.” 

“So what, we…” 

“We cut it open,” Brittany says. 

“We cut… Are you crazy? There’s no way we can get this thing open!” 

Brittany is pale but she shakes her head. “I went looking for a blade around the ship last night. D was a xenozoologist, they would have wanted to examine anything they could find around here.” She opens her bag, the bag that’s supposed to have her suit patches and first aid kit in it, and pulls out  _ D’s dissection kit.  _

“Brittany!” 

“I’ll be careful, Alphie. Just… Watch my back, alright? Tell me if anything is coming behind us. I’ll… I’ll be fine.” 

She is not going to be fine. She looks like she’s going to throw up at any second. “I can do it,” Alph says. “You don’t look so good.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay.” Brittany hands the bag to Alph and sits down on the ground hard. 

“If you need to throw up, you can take your helmet off for just a little,” Alph tells her, kneeling down. “Our suits can filter out the excess oxygen.” 

“Hmm.” 

Alph gets the Pikmin to turn the Vehemoth Phosbat onto its side and stares at it for a few seconds too long. His stomach churns slightly. “I wish D was here,” Alph says, opening the bag. “They would like the Pikmin.” He looks into the bag and picks the biggest and sharpest one, the one in a sheath. 

“You think so?” 

“Yeah.” Alph takes the knife out of the sheath, holding it shakily. “Wh… Which one do you think would be their favorite?” 

“I think they would like the red ones, fire and all.” 

“...I like them too…” Alph hesitantly presses the blade against the Vehemoth Phosbat’s stomach. “...Wh… Which one do you think is gonna be Ch… Charlie’s…?” 

Brittany’s hand rests on Alph’s, the other against the Phosbat. “I think he’ll like the Rock Pikmin, but I assume he already met the Yellows.” 

“...On three?” Alph asks.

“On three.” 

Alph takes a deep breath. “One… Two…” 

They both yell “Three!” and pull the knife across the Phosbat. The knife sinks in horrifyingly deep as it goes across, spewing blood across the floor of the cave. Alph pulls Brittany sideways instinctively, the two avoiding most of the red liquid. The Pikmin are not as lucky, but they do not seem in any danger, just extremely covered in a biohazard. Which technically counts as a danger, but the Pikmin don’t seem to mind. 

“Gross,” Brittany says. 

“Agreed,” Alph says. He walks over to the knife and picks it up off the ground, trying to ignore the fact that his glove is covered in blood. He looks at the Phosbat, squinting. There’s nothing but gross muscles and blood and stars Alph wishes D was here. They’d be a whole lot better at this. 

“Alph, do you see that?” 

“What?” 

“That glow.” 

Alph looks again and blinks. There IS a glow. It’s not the same color as the Phosbat, it’s GREEN. “It’s green. Brittany, it’s green!” 

Brittany looks lost for a moment then realizes what he means. “Charlie’s light is green.” 

Alph takes a deep breath of his oxygen (much lower than PNF-404’s) and turns on his accent lights, making his suit light up white. He leans forward into the Phosbat. Brittany can’t watch and turns around. Alph uses the knife and carefully cuts through the Phosbat, covering himself in blood and other stuff he doesn’t want to think about in the process. 

Alph cuts through a layer of muscle and some liquid dumps out on him. It smells horrible and he rears back, coughing. It sizzles on the meat around him and Alph realizes it's stomach acid. “Alphie?” Brittany’s voice is muffled by the Phosbat’s body. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Alph calls back to her. The green glow is bright but Alph’s white accent lights are brighter. In front of Alph is Charlie. From the green and blue helmet lights and Alph’s white accent lights, Alph can’t see much but reflecting light, but Charlie does not look good. “I found him!” Alph reaches to pull Charlie out before realizing he could cut Charlie’s suit open with D’s knife. Alph wriggles out of the Phosbat, his helmet and suit covered with blood. He drops the knife on the ground. 

“Is he okay?” Brittany asks. 

“I… I don’t know…” Alph answers. “He’s not awake.” 

Brittany crinkles her nose. “You smell terrible.” 

Alph smiles slightly. “I bet he smells worse.” 

“Disgusting,” Brittany says, choked up. “Get him out of there.” 

Alph goes back into the Phosbat, which is still really gross and something D would have killed with their bare hands to get a chance to do. He grabs Charlie, shaking him. “Captain? Are you awake?” Nothing. “Captain Charlie? Charlie?” No answer. Alph moves around Charlie, pushing him out of the hole Alph made to climb in. Alph’s suit is soaked and he can’t imagine what Charlie’s is like. Walking through the cold is going to be a nightmare. 

Charlie hits the ground and Alph lands on top of him. Brittany helps Alph stand. Some of the Yellow Pikmin chirp and come over, inspecting Charlie with a hum. “Look, they recognize him,” Brittany says airily, either holding back manic laughter or tears. She looks down at the blood and guts and stomach acid and, with a shudder, kneels. She holds Charlie up. “He’s breathing. Our suits hold more oxygen than I thought they did.” 

“I can’t carry him.” 

“The Pikmin can. We’re ending today early.” Brittany whistles some Pikmin over and gets them to pick up Charlie. She walks out of the cave. 

Alph picks up D’s knife and dissection kit, knowing they’d be terribly angry if they left that behind, and follows Brittany back to the Drake, trailing blood behind him. He tries to wipe the blood off his helmet, forgetting that his gloves are covered in it too. All he succeeds in doing is make his entire field of vision red. “Brittany?” Alph calls, shivering in his soaked suit. Silence but the wind. The sounds of the Pikmin are getting farther away. “Brittany!?” 

Silence. 

Alph stands still, uselessly trying to scrub the blood from his helmet. Brittany will come back for him if he doesn’t follow her. He doesn’t want to fall into the freezing water. She will put Charlie on the ship, dismiss the Pikmin, and come back for him. 

Alph stares at the blood drying on his helmet. They killed something. They’ve killed many things on this adventure, he knows that. But the blood makes it REAL. They killed it and Alph cut it open like it was a giant jelly pie with a present inside. 

Alph swallows back bile and decides he’s not going to be eating jelly pies anytime soon. He also decides not to tell Brittany that analogy. 

...It’s been too long, hasn’t it? Brittany will come back for him, right? 

Alph rubs at his helmet, shivering. “Brittany!?” 

Something wet touches Alph’s helmet and he jerks back. “Hold still, Alphie! You can’t see.” Alph relaxes when he realizes it’s Brittany. “I was worried about you!” 

“I’m glad you came back.” 

“Of course, I wouldn’t leave you out here alone. It’s cold and you’re soaked. I had to get Charlie out of his suit first.” Brittany wipes the front of Alph’s helmet clean and he blinks at her. There’s still blood smeared across the visor, but he can see. “Come on, you must be freezing.” 

Alph follows Brittany through the snow, shivering. “...How do I tell Grandma Echo that I don’t want jelly pies…?” Alph mumbles quietly. Brittany almost asks what he’s talking about but decides she doesn’t want to know. 

It’s noon when they get onto the Drake. Alph tells Brittany how to launch the ship, not wanting to get blood on the controls. They reach orbit and Alph takes off his suit, wanting out of the blood and guts and everything else. He tosses D’s bag to the side, wincing at the loud crash. 

Brittany is in the MedBay with Charlie. Alph is going to change out of his protective suit and bring something for Charlie before meeting up with her. Alph changes into a sweater and pants, shivering, and grabs Charlie’s rubber ducky. He walks into the MedBay to see Brittany sitting next to Charlie, who she hooked to an IV. The two stare at their captain. “He’ll be okay, right?” Alph says. 

“Yeah,” Brittany says. “I think so.” 

“Go change.” 

“Okay.” Brittany stands up and goes to her room. 

Alph takes her spot, shivering. Charlie isn’t much better. Brittany got him out of his spacesuit but neither can really work up the nerve to get him out of the protective suit. He’s unconscious but he doesn’t look like he’s resting. Alph sets the rubber ducky on the table next to Charlie. “Please wake up,” Alph says. “Please.” 

_ “Captain, come look at this!”  _

_ Charlie looks over Alph’s shoulder at his KopPad. “What is it?”  _

_ Alph tips it in his direction. “It’s PNF-404! Look, it’s so blue!”  _

_ “Like you,” Charlie says.  _

_ “What a beautiful sight to wake up to!”  _

_ “We’re not there yet, Alph.”  _

_ “I love you.”  _

_ “I know.”  _

_ “Please wake up.”  _

_ “I am awake?”  _

_ “Please. Charlie, please. I can’t… Please wake up.”  _

Charlie slightly opens his eyes to light. And it’s not bright green. It’s soft white. The lights inside the MedBay of the Drake. Did they…? He closes his eyes again, the light giving him a headache. It could be another dream. 

“Alphie, it’s time to eat.” 

“What if he wakes up? We can’t leave him alone in here.” 

“I’ll bring you the food, then. You need to eat.” 

Food… Charlie doesn’t know how long he’s gone without food. He hums uncomfortably, turning his head towards his crewmates. “Ng…” 

“Charlie?” Alph says. “Are you awake?” 

“Mmm…” He opens his eyes blearily, Alph looking right at him. “...Alph…?” 

“Charlie!” Alph hugs Charlie, laughing tearfully. “You’re awake!” 

“Alph, don’t squish him.” Charlie looks over at Brittany. “Glad you’re with us.” 

“I’m... This is real?” Charlie asks. He coughs, throat achy. 

“Yeah!” Alph says. “This is real, I’m here, Brittany is here, well no, she was about to go get juice, but she’ll be right back!” Brittany smiles at Alph and ducks out of MedBay. “I’m so sorry it took so long to get to you! It must’ve been so long! I have so much to tell you! I’m glad you’re okay!” Alph holds up a finger. “Oh yeah!” He hands Charlie a glass of water. “You're really dehydrated! So here's this…” 

“I missed you,” Charlie says fondly, drinking it. 

“I missed you too! I love you, you know!” 

“...I know.” Charlie drinks his water, the liquid the most wonderful thing he's had in ages. “How long was I…” Charlie trails off, thinking about the large maw that just swallowed him up. 

“A week,” Alph answers quietly, “if you were trapped on your first day.”

Brittany comes back in with a tray. On the tray are two bottles of juice and two cups. She sits down. “Would you like the Dawn or the Dusk Pustule juice?” 

“There are three of us, why did you only bring two cups?” 

“You haven't eaten in a week, you're starving. One bottle is for you and the other is for me and Alph.” 

“I really like the Dawns,” Alph says. “They're really good!” 

“You tasted them?” 

“You taste them too! You're not as sneaky as you think you are, you know.” 

“I like the Dusks,” Brittany says, ignoring Alph. “Much richer.” 

“The Dawns sound better if they're not as rich.” 

Brittany hands Charlie the bottle of juice and splits the other between her and Alph. Charlie sips at it slowly. “How did you get me out?” 

“We cut it open with D’s dissection kit,” Brittany says. Alph’s face turns a little green. She pales a little as well but continues. “Alph cut through the stomach with a knife and pushed you out.” 

“Like it was a…” Alph trails off and sets his cup down. “...Nevermind.”

“Like what, Alphie?” 

“...Don't wanna make you lose your appetite…” Alph mumbles, covering his face with his hands. 

“Hmm.” Brittany sips at her juice thoughtfully. “I'm relieved that you're alright, Charlie.” 

“Me too!” 

Charlie smiles. “I'm thankful the stars kept you two from harm.” 

Alph and Brittany give that sentence an awkward silence as a reply. Alph rubs his arm through his shirt. “Yeah,” he says slowly, almost bitterly, “kept us from harm.” 

Brittany pulls his hand away from his arm. “Don't. You'll make it hurt again.” 

Charlie furrows his eyebrows. “Alph, are you okay?” 

Alph picks up his juice. “I'm fine now,” he says. He drinks the deep purple juice, pointedly glaring at Brittany. 

Charlie yawns. The bed is so much softer than his spacesuit. “Hmm…” 

“Tired?” Brittany teases. “Like you haven't had enough sleep.” 

“Brittany! It's not like it was a good sleep! He was eaten!” 

“Just teasing, Alphie. I missed him.” 

Charlie drifts off to his crew’s chatter and the Drake's hum, a much better sound than the beast's terrifying heartbeat. 

_ Charlie walks through the snowy tundra with Alph and Brittany at his side, a pack of twenty-five yellow plants behind them. The two younger crew members are chatting about something Charlie can't catch, probably the snow. They seem to be enjoying it. Alph has never been on a part of Koppai where snow was this plentiful while Brittany used to live in the snowy areas.  _

_ “Ooh, a cave!” Alph says. “Let's look at it!”  _

_ Something about the cave seems off to Charlie but he shakes it off. “Lead the way.”  _

_ Alph beams and whistles, the plants following him. Brittany and Charlie follow suit. “It's dark in here,” Alph calls back to them. “And there's some weird animals.”  _

_ A faint breeze and Charlie's mind suddenly sounds an alarm of DANGER DANGER DON'T LET HIM GO IN THERE. The yellow plants shriek in terror, scurrying out of the cave, pushing Brittany and Charlie out with them.  _

_ There's a rush of wind and Alph screams.  _

_ It's cut short.  _

Charlie jerks awake, smacking his bed against the wall as he sits up. Alph startles, blearily looking at him. “Hmm? Wha’ happen?” 

“Shouldn't you be in bed?” Charlie whispers hoarsely. The engineer is sitting awkwardly in a chair, leaning on Charlie's bed. 

“Di’int want you to be alone,” Alph mumbles, yawning. 

“At least get on the other bed.” 

“Can't,” Alph says. “Brittany di’int wanna leave either.” 

Charlie turns his head to see that Brittany is sleeping on the other bed. “Don't you at least have one of the sleeping bags?” 

Alph smiles sheepishly. “I forgot ‘bout those.” Being tired makes his accent flare up. It’s cute and very, very him. He yawns. “Mmph… If only I had a Pikmin… They’d get it for me…” He rubs his eyes, snuggling back on Charlie’s blanket. His arms are bare, revealing terrible burns that must hurt. “Mmm…” He yawns again. 

Charlie wants to know what a Pikmin is but he’s much more concerned about what happened to Alph. “What happened to your arms?” 

“Drake crashed. Hadda fix it. Pikmin scared me. Tripped. Burned myself.” 

“...What’s a Pikmin?” 

Despite being tired, Alph looks up at Charlie and grins. Oh, it’s that dopey smile Charlie missed so much. “Oh, you’ll love ‘em! Helpful an’ scaly an’ fluffy an’ rocky an’... An’...” Alph yawns. “You’ll see… In da mornin’…” 

“Goodnight Alph.” 

“Goodnigh’ Charlie. I love you.” Alph buries his face back in the blankets and falls back to sleep surprisingly quickly. 

Charlie hesitantly places a hand on Alph’s hair. It’s soft. The engineer hums, mumbling something about warm. “I… I love you too.” 

“Hey.” Charlie looks at Brittany, who’s sitting up in bed. “Feeling better?” 

“Did I wake you?” 

“I wasn't sleeping well.” Brittany rubs her eyes and looks at the clock on the wall. “Ugh, I’m blind without my glasses, what time is it?” 

Charlie looks at it. “Twelve thirty.” Alph pulls a handful of Charlie’s blanket closer to him. “That can’t be good for his back.” 

“I’ll get him into this bed.” Brittany finds her glasses and puts them on. She picks Alph up, Alph letting out a sleepy hum of displeasure, and sets him on the bed. “Goodnight, Alphie.” 

“..Nigh’ ‘t’ny… Love you...” 

“Love you too.” 

Alph snuggles into the blanket, mumbling something about warm, and goes back to sleep. “Please get you the sleeping bag…” 

“...Actually, we need our suits cleaned,” Brittany says awkwardly. 

“At midnight?” 

Brittany doesn't answer. She doesn't have to. Brittany is usually a very good sleeper, she never “isn't sleeping well.” She had a nightmare like Charlie. “Do you think you're strong enough to help me?” 

“If you unhook me.” 

“Might sting.” Brittany pulls the IV out of Charlie's arm. He winces but it's nothing compared to the war. 

...The stomach of a beast will probably haunt his nightmares far longer than the war. 

The two leave Alph in the MedBay bed. Brittany shows Charlie the suits and he lets out a gasp. His suit is corroded slightly from acid and smeared with blood and Brittany's has blood on the legs and gloves. But Alph’s is covered in it, the blue and white barely visible through the thick red. “Stars… You said he cut through it, but I wasn’t thinking immediately.” 

“We were worried. You were stuck.” 

“Brittany, he’s going to have nightmares.” 

“We’re all having nightmares, this planet is cursed.” 

“...What happened to you?” 

“Got stranded twice, first time protected only by a pane of glass and a wall of dirt. Very big and thick, but still glass and still dirt. Second time in the Distant Tundra where you were, in a cave nearby where we found the Yellow Pikmin.” 

In a normal situation, Brittany would never share this much. Charlie knows her. She’s fairly stubborn, but the planet is dangerous and they deserve all the shared knowledge they know of the dangers. Charlie has no advice except “Don't get eaten” so he’s not helpful in that regard. And there’s that word again. Pikmin. “What’s a Pikmin? Alph mentioned it earlier.” 

“Oh, I’ll show you!” Brittany stands to get her KopPad and Charlie looks over the suits again. The front of Alph's helmet is wiped clean. Charlie assumes that it's so he could see where he was going. It's nauseating. Alph's young and impressionable, the event is going to impact his growth. If Drake had accepted, this wouldn't have happened. Alph would be back on Koppai… 

...Starving. The three of them are better fed than most Koppaites could even dream of. Alph's household is larger than most but they aren't given enough extra rations. Seventeen with only enough for ten. If Alph's older brother had accepted the engineering job, Alph would be back on Koppai starving. Count your blessings and disregard your misfortunes, Charlie decides bitterly. 

Brittany returns with her KopPad and several washcloths. She sits next to Charlie, opening the pictures. On the screen are plant figures like the ones Charlie found on his first day, only red with noses. “These are Red Pikmin,” Brittany says. “Alph found them on his first day. They’re immune to fire and extreme heat.” She slides over a few pictures. Brittany stops on a picture of rocks with stems on them. “These are the Rock Pikmin, they can break glass and crystals.” 

As she slides through, Charlie spots a blurry image. “Stop!” Brittany pauses, concerned. “What was that?” 

“Which one?” She shows him the current one, a picture of a spotted animal that looks eerily like those strange Hocotatian dogs. “This is a Bulborb, they’re all over the planet.” 

“The blurry one.” 

Brittany winces and slides back. “Alph took this one. The datafiles we found called it a boss named the Armored Mawdad.” The picture is blurry, like Alph was running, but it’s clearly gray and blue with many legs. “He said he wanted a picture of every animal we ran into while it was alive so he could show it to D.” 

“So he took it as it was chasing him?” 

“Us, but yes.” Brittany slides over one. This version has the Mawdad without its armor, dead on the ground. “Don’t know why he didn’t wait until after to take it.” Brittany slides over several. She shows Charlie the yellow plant beings he met on his first day. “These are the Yellow Pikmin. They can conduct electricity.” 

“I met them.” 

“I thought so.” 

Charlie hesitates for just a moment. “...What did the beast I was in look like?” 

Brittany is silent then slides over a few pictures. The beast glows menacingly in the dark. Charlie can hear the growls and heartbeat. “The Vehemoth Phosbat,” Brittany says. “Killed too many of our Pikmin. Did you notice?” 

Charlie shakes his head. “I… Wasn’t aware of much.” Not technically a lie. All he was aware of was growls and roars and that terrifying heartbeat. “...Let’s clean the suits for tomorrow. Alph’s is going to take a lot of work.” 

“...Yeah, let’s.” Brittany takes Alph’s helmet and starts cleaning it. Charlie takes his own suit and starts cleaning. The two sit in silence. It’s comfortable, mostly. A bit odd to Charlie, considering the fact he hasn’t had silence in a week. It’s nice. 

About an hour later, Charlie finishes his and starts on Brittany’s. Brittany is still cleaning Alph’s, hardly halfway through. The bloody cloths are piling up in a bucket. Charlie nods towards them. “We’re going to have to wash these on the surface so it doesn’t interfere with our water supply.” 

Brittany makes a face. “Or toss them.” 

“Or toss them.” 

The two continue washing, easing back into their quiet company. It’s growing late. Or is it growing early? Whichever it is, it’s nearing 3am when the two see Alph walking down the hallway, blanket wrapped around his arms, rubbing his eyes. “Alphie?” Brittany says. 

Alph jumps, looking at her. “...You scared me.” 

“It’s three in the morning, Alphie. What are you doing awake?” 

Alph stands straight in a way that makes Charlie smile. He looks ridiculous. “What are YOU doin’ awa-” he yawns. “Awake at three in da mornin’?”

“I asked you first.” 

Alph goes back to his normal posture, making Charlie chuckle. “...I’m hungry, so I’m eatin’ snacks I bought when we stopped on Hocotate to refuel… But I'm always up at three in da mornin’.” He rubs his face with the blanket. 

“Can I have some?” Brittany teases. 

“Noooo…” Alph yawns. “I bought them…” 

“Joking, Alphie.” 

“...Oh.” Alph doesn’t seem entirely convinced. 

“Go get your snacks.” 

Alph wanders off, dragging the blanket behind him. When he comes back, he has three bags of fruit snacks and the blanket from his bed. He sets one bag next to Charlie and one next to Brittany. “For when you’re done!” Alph says cheerfully. He yawns, sitting on the floor next to Charlie. 

The way that he just shared the snacks with them makes Charlie feel sick, and not the way the blood does. Doesn’t Alph know that he’s the worst off of the three? Charlie thanks Alph with a tight smile and pushes it aside. Brittany does the same, albeit without the tight smile. 

Alph eats his fruit snacks slowly, nodding off again. He leans on Charlie’s shoulder, lost in thought. “Have something you want to share, Alph?” Charlie asks. 

Alph blinks slowly, looking up at him. “...Hm? Not yet. Just… Happy you’re here.” He nuzzles Charlie’s shoulder. “Just… Stay here…” He yawns, pulling the blanket around himself. 

“I’ll stay here.” Charlie goes back to cleaning the suits, keenly aware of Alph leaning on his shoulder. Alph dozes off, head almost falling to the floor. “Is he asleep?” Charlie asks Brittany. 

“Think so.” Brittany looks at Alph, brow crinkled, worry in her eyes. “...He volunteered to get you. Just assumed it was his duty. It’s sweet of him, but worrying.” 

“Yeah.” Charlie drops the dirty cloth in the water and looks at his hands, covered in grime. “Brittany, can you help me wash so I can carry him to bed?” Brittany washes the blood from Charlie's hands and Charlie picks Alph up, the engineer mumbling sleepily. “Shh, go back to sleep.” 

“Mnn… Don’t leave…” 

“You need your sleep.” 

Alph settles down. 

Charlie sets the engineer on his bed. The youngest crew member goes back to sleep, taking a deep breath. Charlie tucks him in. “Goodnight.” Charlie goes back to Brittany and the two finish cleaning up. 

“Goodnight Charlie,” Brittany says. 

“...Goodnight Brittany.” 

Brittany yawns and goes to her room. 

Charlie stands in the hall, staring at the rooms. He… He's scared. This could be a delusion. He could be dying. He's… 

...He's not ready. 

If this is a dream, it's a good last dream to have. 

Charlie gets into his bed and falls into a fitful sleep. It's scary. He'll be fine. Probably. 

Charlie wakes to warm breathing against his neck and warm arms wrapped around him. He looks over his shoulder to see Alph. The engineer shakes slightly in his sleep and lets out a whimper. Charlie is relieved that last night was real, it would have been the worst dream yet. But Alph is having a nightmare, which is not relieving in the slightest. 

“Alph, Alph wake up.” Alph hugs Charlie tighter. “Alph, wake up.” 

Alph jolts awake, looking at Charlie blearily. “Charlie?” 

Not Captain. Not Captain Charlie. Just Charlie. Charlie likes the change, don't get him wrong, it's just odd. “Yeah, it's me.” A quick glance at the clock shows 8am. Now should have been leaving time, but Charlie's had a taxing week. “It's time to get up.” 

“...Mnn…” Alph climbs off the bed, his fuzzy blue blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He rubs his face with it, yawning. 

“Get ready, Alph. I'm sure we have a big day today.” 

Alph makes a face. “We have to go back for the body…” 

“What?” 

“...Nothing, you'll see.” He leaves so Charlie can get ready. 

Charlie takes a shower and changes into his spacesuit. He rolls his shoulders. It's good to be free. He leaves the room to see Alph and Brittany talking in the control room. Alph has a purple pronoun necklace on. A they day, it seems. 

“What's the matter, Alph? You seem lost in thought.”

Alph stares at PNF-404 through the window, subdued. “I was just thinking about how far we are from home.” 

Brittany follows their gaze. “We've certainly come a long way, haven't we?”

Alph looks at her and smiles slightly. “It feels a bit like a dream, to be honest.”

“Oh, right, this is your first time away from Koppai, isn't it?” Brittany smiles at them. “Feeling homesick is only natural. But don't worry. We'll be home soon enough.”

“Good morning, you two,” Charlie says. 

“Good morning, Captain,” Alph says absently. They perk up and smile at Charlie. “Glad to see you're okay.” They pick up a serving of juice and hand it to Charlie. “Here's today's breakfast!” 

Charlie thanks Alph and sips it slowly. “Do we have a place to go?” 

“Yes,” Brittany says. “We are heading back to the Distant Tundra. We left the body of the Vehemoth Phosbat and the fruit it knocked off the ceiling of the cave behind.” 

Alph shudders. “I don't want to look at that body…” 

“You can stay outside the cave, Alphie,” Brittany says. “You too, Charlie.” 

“No, I’ll… I’ll come in.” Charlie needs to see the body of the beast. Then he will be sure this is real. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.” 

Brittany nods. “Very well. Alph?” 

Alph nods. The three put on their helmets and Alph takes them down to the surface. They get off the Drake and Alph runs to a strange ship that landed next to them. They whistle under it and a holographic screen appears from above. “Charlie, come over here! I wanna show you how this works!” 

“What is this?” Charlie asks as he walks over. 

“This is the Onion! It has all of our Pikmin in it!” Alph point at the sliders. “You can slide these to choose how many Pikmin you want out of the Onion. This shows how many we have. I’m gonna take out more Yellows because the animals around here are electric. We also have the least amount of them so I’m gonna… Have them…” Alph trails off. 

“I’ll get them to carry the Phosbat to the Onion so they can sprout,” Brittany says. “You don’t have to go near it.” 

“Thank the stars…” Alph drags the sliders and taps away. 

Strange beings come down the legs. Charlie assumes these are the Pikmin. They gather around them. And Charlie recognizes the yellow ones as his floral companions that travelled with him on the first day. Some of them chirp and tackle him in a hug. “Oh!” 

“See, I told you! I told you they’d tackle him like the Rocks tackled you!” Alph tells Brittany. “You owe me five bucks once we get home.” 

“...Fine.” Brittany helps Charlie out of the Pikmin pile, the Pikmin chirping to each other. “They seem to be clean of the blood. The Onion must have cleaned them.” 

That triggers a warning bell in Charlie’s mind. “What?”

“There was a lot of blood,” Alph says distantly. “Got all over the place. All over the Pikmin. Not on me and Brittany though. D would’ve thought it was cool.” They sound a little panicked, looking up at the swirling light of the Onion. “Wish they were here.” 

One of the Red Pikmin wraps their arms around Alph in a hug and chirps at them. “I can’t understand them, but you need to calm down before you break into an anxiety attack,” Brittany says. She steps through the squad and hugs Alph. “Yesterday was hard for you, I know.” 

“...I’m scared.” 

“Of what?” 

“What if… What if there’s another one?” 

“If there’s another one, we can defeat it BEFORE it eats anyone.”

Charlie feels like an outsider in his own crew. He can’t comfort people, he’s gruff and insensitive. “Alph, I…” Alph and Brittany look at him. “I’m not good at this. But, I, uh, I would like to make sure that I can keep you safe.” 

Alph smiles at him over Brittany’s shoulder. “Thank you.” 

Brittany whistles and they start walking through the snow. 

“Alph,” Charlie says. 

“Yes?” 

“What do you think of the snow?” 

“It's very cold! The Red Pikmin are fire conductors though and are very warm.” Alph pulls a Red Pikmin closer as the two walk. Charlie notices that it has a strange pattern on it, spots like the picture of the Bulborb. “Brittany told me that I should toughen up but it's COLD!!! She grew up in the cold parts of Koppai, it's unfair…” 

Charlie chuckles. “She's a little hotheaded, isn't she?” 

“I can hear you!” Brittany tosses some Pikmin at an enemy and has them carry it back. “I have glasses not hearing aids.” 

“And what beautiful glasses they are,” Charlie says with a smile. 

“How flattering,” Brittany deadpans. 

All know Charlie is not actually flirting with her. But it does cheer them up. 

They get to the cave entrance and Charlie grabs Brittany's and Alph's hands. Alph yelps, falling backwards into the snow. 

“Is there something wrong?” Brittany's voice reveals nothing about how she feels but her eyes reveal everything. Being left on the surface changes you. Alph wouldn't understand and Brittany and Charlie will do anything to make sure they never do. 

“Just… Be careful…” 

They walk into the cave and Charlie sees the damage. Dry blood is spilled all across the floor, covering it with red. The Vehemoth Phosbat is cut straight through the middle like a badly dissected animal, which Charlie distantly realizes it technically is. 

Alph mumbles something about jelly pies and retches when they see the body of the monster. 

“What are they talking about?” Charlie asks Brittany. 

“I don't know and I'm not sure I want to know the answer.” Brittany turns to Alph. “You alright, Alphie?” 

“Peachy,” Alph mutters. They all like peaches. Alph currently sounds like they despise the thought of peaches. They shake their head. “Let's just get it out of here, along with the fruit.” 

“Wait,” Charlie says. “I need to see it. I need to make sure.” 

“I'll stay over here,” Alph says. “You two have fun.” They nab a couple Red Pikmin to keep warm and turn around, away from the Vehemoth Phosbat. 

Charlie and Brittany take the rest of the Pikmin up to the Vehemoth Phosbat. Charlie stares at it. It's huge. It's terrifying. And Alph… 

“Oh,” Charlie says softly. “They cut it in half…”

“...Like a jelly pie…” Brittany finishes. The two must have had the same thought process as Alph. Alph's grandma and Brittany's aunt make excellent pies. Charlie isn't sure he can stomach one, not for a while. “Charlie?” 

Charlie steps in front of the Vehemoth Phosbat’s face, staring at its creepy half lidded eyes. “...It's dead. It can't hurt us anymore. Let's get rid of it.”

“Alright,” Brittany says. She does something strange with her whistle and the Yellow Pikmin charge at the Vehemoth Phosbat, picking it up. She then gets Reds to carry the fruit. “We should follow them, I don't want them to get caught by any animals we missed. And closure is nice.” 

“Closure is nice,” Charlie repeats. 

“Come on, Alph,” Brittany says. Alph turns to look at her. “We're going to put the Phosbat in the Onion.”

The three follow the Pikmin carrying the Vehemoth Phosbat, making sure they don't get attacked. The Drake sends them a message that the fruit has been recovered. The Yellow Pikmin place the Vehemoth Phosbat beneath the Onion and the Onion beams it up. “There,” Brittany says. “It's gone.” 

“It's gone,” Charlie says, staring at it. 

“Charlie?” Alph asks slowly. “Are you alright?” 

Charlie realizes he's crying. “Yeah… Yeah I'm okay.” 

Brittany lets the two stare at the Onion for a few more seconds then claps to get their attention. “Let's get today started! Let's go get some fruit!” 

Alph takes Charlie's hand and pulls him away from the Onion. 

At the end of the day, the crew returns to the Drake. Alph jumps into their spinning pilot seat, letting out a quiet cheer as they spin. “Juice time,” they say quietly. Charlie smiles.

“What was that?” Brittany calls from the fridge. 

“Juice time!” 

“It IS juice time!” Brittany comes out with three cups of juice. “And after this I'll look at what fruit that monster was guarding.” 

Alph takes their cup. “...Blech, way to make me lose my appetite.” 

“Drink your juice, otherwise Romeo's going to get taller than you.” Brittany walks over to Charlie and gives him his. 

Alph grumbles at that but drinks their juice. Charlie drinks his serving as well. As soon as they finish, Alph gets out their KopPad. 

Brittany drinks her juice and looks through the day's fruit. “Let's see… Here it is! The Drake called it a Heroine’s Tear.”

“I think it should be the Hero’s Tear,” Charlie says. 

Brittany scoffs. “For you?” 

Charlie smiles. “No, for Alph,”--the engineer looks up from their KopPad at their name--“who braved the beast to rescue me despite being scared.” 

Alph blushes, hiding their face behind their KopPad shyly. “...Thank you…” 

The three settle into comfortable silence. Charlie smiles at his crew. They have been through many things together. They'll be through many more. What's for certain is that they'll always find each other. 

Charlie would never ask for more.


End file.
